


Damian Through the Years

by Mamamia_51



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Super Sons (Comics)
Genre: All of Damian's animals, Angst, Damian's in love, Happy Ending, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Slow Burn, this boy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-02-28 22:16:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13280961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mamamia_51/pseuds/Mamamia_51
Summary: Damian has been constantly learning things about himself as he's grown older, and even though he's sometimes a bit stubborn when it comes to these discoveries— he has a lot of people who help him find out who he really is.





	Damian Through the Years

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr  
> @flowerfieldsandstuff

Damian discovered a lot of things about himself as he grew older.

He was young when he discovered his love for animals. Goliath being one of the first experiences with that realization. Then Titus came, and Alfred, Batcow, Jerry, even Ace who wasn't necessarily Damian's, but still had a special place in his heart. Damian wasn't sure what really drew him to animals. Maybe it was that they didn't care that Damian had a bad past, or maybe it was because Damian didn't have to pretend to anyone other than who he was around them. Either way Damian felt comfortable with his pets— he discovered that he could love something, and that he could be loved back.

When he decided to leave the company of his mother, grandfather, and the League of Assassins, he discovered he could change. It wasn't immediate. When he first arrived he still didn't understand his father's way, not killing and doing all that he does. It seemed tedious. All that work and the criminals always seemed to escape again. But time went on and eventually he found that maybe his father had the right idea, maybe killing wasn't the only way, maybe he _could_ change. It wasn't just with the way he was taught, not just with killing, but he learned he could count on other people; father, Alfred, Grayson, even on the occasion, Drake and Todd.

Damian even made friends. Although sometimes he had trouble admitting it; Colin, Maya, Suren, Maps, and Jon. He decided that he could finally put his trust in other people. Trust them in a fight, trust them in life.

Then Damian got even older, and he discovered something he didn't quite know how to handle. All of his life he'd been told he would be something great, that he was perfection at its finest, and that he would have his own child who would continue the running trait of being perfect. Damian wanted that... in part. He didn't hate the idea of having a child, a family, but the idea of meeting a girl— marrying her. No. He didn't want to. He couldn't. It's not like he didn't try. He did. He tried to find anything other than friendship with Maya, but ended up finding a person he was comfortable calling a sister. He tried with Emiko Queen, but he didn't have any feelings for her, and it was obvious that even if he did, she wouldn't reciprocate. Maps was always at Gotham Academy, and she seemed more in love with his weapons than him.

When he found that he couldn't love a woman, he thought he was just destined to become Batman and live alone, maybe adopt like a hundred kids and end up like his father, but then he started to hang out with his friends more.

It was actually Colin that caused Damian to discover that it wasn't that he couldn't love anyone, just that he couldn't love a girl. He was a teenager, and there were thousands of hormones going through his system, and that's what probably prompted him realizing that he wanted to kiss the other boy. Of course he did what any other hormone infused teenager would do— he ran away. He ran away and he pulled away. He was afraid of those feelings. Afraid of what it meant. Afraid of what others would think of him. Afraid of how _Colin_ would react.

Everyone noticed of course. Maya came to him first, then Jon, and Dick. He lied every time, saying that he just had too much vigilante work, or research, or studies. Dick had his suspicions, but after he moved to Bludhaven he didn't actually know that most of what Damian was telling him was a lie. He hated the lying, but he couldn't stand the thought that Dick might hate him for the real reason. After a while even his father asked him if something was going on. Damian wasn't sure if Alfred or Dick had told the man that there was something wrong with Damian's recent behavior, he was the world's greatest detective, but he also seemed to avoid every emotional confrontation he could. Bruce came to him while on patrol, Damian suspected it was because he had the mask on, Damian told him that nothing was wrong— that everyone was just imagining things.

Eventually Damian decided that he needed to tell someone.

It couldn't be someone that he really cared about, that way if they rejected him he wouldn't be affected by it too terribly. They couldn't be close to the family, because then Damian would have to worry about them telling his father and everybody else, but he didn't want it to be a stranger.

Damian thought that Jason Todd was the best option. He was off with his team of outlaws half the time, he seemed to never actively reach out to anyone in the family, but he was also technically apart of the family. Plus Todd just seemed like he wouldn't be too judgmental.

Damian found Jason's most recent safehouse and popped in when he knew the older man would be there.

He was greeted with a gun in the face.

"Don't be dramatic, Todd." Damian sneered. Jason lowered the gun and placed it on the nearest counter. Jason had changed out of his Red Hood gear, and a simple white shirt and grey sweatpants took their place.

"What do you want, Demon?" Jason asked, turning away and opening his fridge.

Damian had thought about what he was going to say before he came to Jason's safehouse, but at the moment he couldn't remember any of his preparation. He didn't say anything, in fact the only thing he could focus on was how fast his heart was beating, which was insane because this was Todd— the _easy-to-kill robin_ , the _disgrace_ , the _black sheep_ of the family.

Jason picked up on Damian's silence and turned around. Damian wasn't looking at Jason, his head was down, and he twisting his fingers together in nervousness. Jason went to the microwave and put a container of leftovers inside. He set the timer and sat down at the kitchen table.

"Are you going to say something, or did you just come here to stare at the ground?" Damian looked up at Jason's comment. Jason lifted his eyebrows in question.

Damian bit his lip. "I, um..." Damian started off. Jason frowned at Damian.

"Are you okay? What is this about?" Jason leaned forward in his seat. "Is everyone else okay?" Damian nodded his head, but couldn't bring himself to say anything. Jason got up from his seat and went over to where Damian was standing. "You're freaking me out, kid." Damian looked up at Jason, his face was covered in concern. "Just spit it out." Damian decided to take his advice.

"I think I'm gay." Jason squinted his eyes at him.

"You think you're gay?" Jason asked. Damian tilted his head.

"Well, no. I _am_ gay." Suddenly Damian felt a terrified. Jason was going to reject him. He was going to be rejected by the reject. Why did he think this was a good idea?

"Oh... okay." Damian stared at Jason.

"Okay?" Damian repeated.

"Yeah, okay. Did you think I wouldn't be okay with it?" Damian shrugged. "Damian, you're a brat, and a literal demon spawn, but not because you're gay." Damian didn't know how to respond to that. The microwave went off and Jason turned to take it out, he also grabbed two forks, and then sat down. "Do you want some?" Jason asked, extending one of the forks to him. Damian stared at it for a second. He wondered if he should just turn away, everything he came here to do he did.

Damian sat down and took the fork.

Jason had heated up some sort of lasagna, he mentioned that it was vegetarian, so Damian began to eat.

"Am I the first one you told?" Jason asked after a while. Damian nodded. "No one's going to reject you." Jason assured Damian as he took another bite of the lasagna. The look on Damian's face must've conveyed his emotions, because Jason added on. "Kate's gay, Aqualad's gay, Harper's bi, so is Selina, Wonder Woman, Constantine-,"

"Don't compare me to the likes of him."

"-your mother on occasion." Damian made an offended noise and sat back with a disgusted look on his face.

"Don't talk about my mother like that."

Jason smirked, "But it's true." Damian's mood fell suddenly. It _was_ true. She occasionally found herself in bed with a woman, but that was always for a mission. Always to manipulate someone.

"She's part of the problem." Damian said. Jason focused his attention on the boy. "You don't get it. We don't talk anymore, but she still expects me to continue our bloodline." Damian made direct eye contact with Jason. "I can't." Damian's voice broke and Jason's eyes widened with panic. "I mean, I guess I can. I am able to... but I don't want to." Damian put his face into his hands. Jason stood up and went around the table.

"Damian, it's okay. No one's going to judge you because of this. If Talia tries anything she'll have to go through me, and Bruce, and everybody else." Damian took a deep breath and nodded, but he still kept his head down. Jason sighed and wrapped his arms around the younger boy. "Everything's going to be fine, Demon."

Eventually Damian told everyone he felt he needed to. He started with Alfred, then his father, Dick, Cassandra, and even Tim. He was still hesitant with his friends. He knew rationally that they should have no problem with him being gay, but he was still harboring feelings for Colin. He was afraid that his family would reject him, but his friends could be even worse— they could just walk away— abandon him. At least his family would have a harder time throwing him away, there were too many people in the bat family that he could live with if his father had felt differently about him being gay. He realized that he didn't have an abundance of friends.

Still he felt he needed to let his friends know. He trusted them in a fight, with his identity, and in some cases he even trusted them with his life.

He decided that it would be best if he just got them all together and told them the news. Rip off the bad-aid so to speak.

Colin, Jon, Maya, Suren, and Maps were sitting around in Damian's room. They were all just sitting around, Jon, Suren, and Maya were in the middle of a conversation that Damian was half paying attention to. Colin and Maps were also involved in their own discussion that Damian was also partially listening to. Damian was drawing though. His back was against Titus'. He had grown much taller since he'd gotten the dog, and was now far too big to sit huddled against him like he used to, but they had grown too accustomed to the position, and so Damian was usually resting something on Titus; his back, his arms, or his legs. Just something for Titus to provide comfort through. Damian might be good at hiding it, but he was incredibly nervous. He didn't know how he was going to broach the subject, he assumed he would have to do the same thing he did with his family— just come right out and tell them.

Damian waited for a lull in the conversations when he cleared his throat and got the attention of the group.

"You got something to say, Dames?" Jon asked with a smile. He was the youngest in the group, but he was certainly one of the most energetic.

"Yes, actually." Damian started. "It's actually quite important— you see I've discovered that I'm," he paused and took a deep breath, "gay." Damian's hand automatically went to pet Titus. The dog seemed to pick up on Damian's distress and moved closer, giving him a small lick.

The room was silent for a moment, which scared Damian to no end, but then Maya spoke up.

"I think I speak for everyone in the room when I say that of course we accept you." Everyone nodded their heads.

"Yeah Damian, thanks for trusting us." Maps added with a smile.

And everything was fine. They continued to hang out for another few hours, everything was normal, nothing changed. Damian couldn't have hoped for a better reaction, and really thank god too, he thought it would be too tedious trying to make new friends.

After a while, one by one, each of his friends returned home, and soon enough it was just Damian and Jon. Jon was always the last one to leave, because he could fly it only took him a short amount of time to get home, so decided to use the time he saves by staying longer at the manor. Damian didn't mind of course, he had grown to like spending time with Jon.

Jon had moved to sit on Damian's bed with him, his hands automatically going to pet Titus. Jon liked to talk, and he did it a lot more than Damian, so the older boy just waited for Jon to speak first.

"Hey, Damian?" Jon said after a while.

"Yes." Damian answered after he was sure Jon wasn't just going to keep talking.

"You know how you said you were gay?" Damian had a slight panic at the words, thinking that maybe his friend actually did have a problem with him, and just didn't want to say anything in front of their little group. Jon picked up on Damian's agitation because he quickly started to speak again. "I don't mean to make you freak out. I just— You like other boys?" He asked. Damian controlled his heart rate.

"First of all, I told you not to listen to my heart beat. And second, yes, that's what it means. Being gay that is." Jon nodded his head and averted his gaze.

"Have you ever... _been_ with a boy?" Damian was confused with Jon's wording.

"Do you mean sexually?" Damian responded. Jon's eyes whipped back toward Damian, his face turned red, and he waved his arms in a defensive manor.

"No, no, no." Jon assured Damian frantically. "I meant, like, dated a boy, or something." Jon was still blushing, but he calmed down.

"Oh, no. It's been a recent discovery." Damian admitted.

"But you're almost sixteen." Jon said confused.

"I guess I haven't really thought about about it before." Damian shrugged.

"How do you know for sure then?"

Damian stared at Jon. "I can't imagine myself with a woman. I've tried to, but I see them as nothing but friends. I don't think women are attractive in a romantic or sexual sense. I just know, Jon." Damian wasn't sure why he felt like he was defending himself.

"Oh, but you can see yourself with another boy?" Jon asked with wide eyes.

"Yes." Damian answered. Jon nodded his head again.

Jon didn't speak again. He just sort of stared off in space, absently petting Titus as he did. Damian took it as a sign to continue his drawing.

"Hey Damian?" Jon asked again after a couple of moments. Damian looked up from his sketch.

"Yes, Jon."

"I think I like boys too." Damian stared at Jon for a moment, shocked. Jon noticed. "But I also like girls." Damian smiled reassuringly, hoping he hadn't made Jon uncomfortable by saying nothing before.

"Okay." Damian said. "That's good, Jon." Jon smiled back, it was wide and had all of the boyish charm that being Jon Kent promised.

"Thanks Damian."

"No problem."

* * *

 

It was about a year later that Colin moved away.

Everyone was sad, but luckily almost everyone had the resources to go visit him if they wanted to. They promised to all hang out often, and that they wouldn't lose contact. Damian didn't know how to react. He hadn't acted on his feelings once. He always kept his thoughts private out of fear of ruining his friendship with the other boy.  

That was when Damian discovered how dangerous it was to care for someone. Colin moving away made him sad and angry. He didn't understand those feelings because it wasn't like Colin had betrayed him. Colin and him were never together. He decided that he needed to move on. Colin was farther away, and he had never expressed any interest in ever wanting to be anything other than friends with him, so he started using his Damian Wayne charm at galas and the other parties he was invited to. It didn't take long for him to find a few other teenagers who liked men, and after that he was soon in a relationship with another heir to a large company.

The other boy was Damian's first in a lot of things; dating, kissing, sex... but it was clear that the other boy wasn't Damian's first love. Damian didn't know if Colin had been the one, or maybe if he was still waiting, but he knew that the spoiled heir was not, so he broke up with the other boy, and moved on.

Other boys came along, ones that were attractive and that offered a good time for the now seventeen year old boy, but Damian always ended up breaking up with them— he realized he was turning into his father with gaining the reputation of being another playboy billionaire, but he found that he didn't mind.

His friends also didn't mind his new reputation. Maps was the only other Gothamite, and thus was the only one that really kept up with Damian's escapades. Everyone was polite, but Damian could tell that they all knew every guy he dated was just a fling. That also didn't bother him.

In fact Damian found out that he just wasn't concerned with falling in love, but every time he saw Colin his heart would beat just a little faster.

It was one of those times that everyone was hanging out, Colin included, that Damian noticed Jon would stare at him. Damian paid no attention to him, he hoped that Jon wasn't monitoring his heart anymore, he knew it could give way to his crush. Nothing changed though, everyone acted the same, the conversations were always nice, and Damian was fine.

Then Jon started to hang out with him one-on-one again. It wasn't actually that uncommon, of course there was when they teamed up as the Super Sons, and just in general Jon was one of his closest friends, but suddenly Jon was hanging out with him more. Damian didn't mind, he wasn't doing much between training to run Wayne Enterprises and his vigilante work, so whenever Jon was done with school he would just come over. They didn't do a lot, Jon mostly worked on his homework, sometimes he would ask Damian to help, but it was always nice.

"Damian?" Jon asked. Damian turned around.

"Yeah."

"What's it like to be in love?" Damian paused and frowned.

"I don't know, Jon." Damian answered honestly.

"I thought you were dating and stuff." Jon added.

"I have, but I haven't loved any of them." Damian responded.

"Then why do you go out with them?" Jon was so innocent. Damian sighed and leaned back.

"Sometimes you just need to date people to figure out if you like them." Damian tried to explain.

"I thought you liked Colin." Damian froze, then glared at Jon. He had his suspicions of how Jon knew, but he also felt defensive for some reason. He believed his childish crush on Colin had begun to fizzle out of existence. It was obvious that Colin would never think of him as anything other than a friend, which was okay, and Damian himself felt whatever feeling he had slowly reside.

"And why would you assume that?" Damian deadpanned. Jon smiled shyly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's just that your heartbeat sometimes picks up around him." Damian frowned at the boy and was about to speak up, but he was cut off. "I know you don't like it when I listen to your heart rate, but I just... I don't know, it just happened. I'm sorry, but like he'll sit next to you sometimes and your heartbeat just-,"

"Enough." Damian cut him off. "Maybe I did have feelings for him, but I don't anymore." Jon looked skeptical. "I don't. He's just a friend."

"Do you want to kiss him?" Jon asked.

"No." Jon stood up and walked over to Damian.

"I don't believe you."

Damian stood up himself. He had had a growth spurt within in the last couple of years and was finally taller than Jon. Damian didn't know how long his stature would hold, given that Jon himself would surely continue growing.  

"Well it's true." Damian growled. Jon scoffed, turned around, and flopped down on Damian's bed.

"Have you even ever kissed anyone?" Jon asked. Damian furrowed his brow. Jon knew he had, his whole friend group knew he had.

"Of course." Damian stated, then just for fun he added. "Have you?"

The question made Jon react poorly. He was trying to hard to not show any emotion. His cheeks flushed slightly and he collapsed fully on Damian's bed now, instead of just leaning up on his elbows. Damian walked closer. "You haven't, have you?" For some reason he couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. Jon threw his hands over his face. Jon was an attractive boy, he was fourteen, which was actually a few years younger than Damian was when he had his own first kiss so he supposes he actually shouldn't be that surprised. Damian sat down next to Jon. "You know that it's okay to not have kissed someone." Jon removed his hands and looked over at Damian with a scowl.

"I know that it's okay." Jon said.

"Your actions betray you, Jon." Jon rolled his eyes.

"No," Jon sat up and faced Damian fully now. "I know it's okay." He paused and glanced away. "I just..." He trailed off.

"What?" Damian asked, confused and kind of eager to hear the rest.

"I just _want_ to." Jon finished quietly with a red face. Damian shook his head, still confused.

"You want to kiss someone?" Jon nodded his head.

"I just want to know what it's like." Jon confessed. "Like what if I'm not good at it? Or what if I do it wrong? What if I don't like it?" Jon asked in a desperate tone. Damian thought for a second.

"Jon, if you're really freaking out this much," he stopped to make sure Jon was looking at him, "I could kiss you." Jon's face exploded with a blush again. "It just seems like the easiest solution for your dilemma. Of course you can say no. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable." Jon shook his head and Damian was ready to get up and continue what he was doing before.

"Wait, I-," Jon spoke. "If you want to, I mean. I wouldn't be opposed." Jon looked away again. Damian looked at Jon.

"As long as you're okay with it."

Jon nodded his head again and this time Damian got closer to Jon's face. "Then of course." Damian lifted a hand and held it up to Jon's cheek. He wasn't sure how he felt about this. Jon was only fourteen, and Damian was almost an adult. However it was only a kiss, and they've been friends for a long time. Damian leaned in slowly, giving Jon enough time to back away if he felt the need to. Then they kissed. It was slow and tentative, Jon was hesitating with kissing back, but he did, and it was actually pretty good.

Okay it was really good.

Damian could feel himself getting lost in the kiss. It wasn't just good, it was... _electric_. Damian hadn't ever felt this way when he kissed another person.

He didn't want it to end.

It did though. They were both flush and Jon looked at Damian in amazement.

"Wow." He uttered. Damian couldn't help the smile that came to his face. Suddenly Jon looked panicked. "Was it, you know, good for you too?" Jon whispered the last part, like it was a secret. Damian laughed a little.

"Yes, Jon. It was more than adequate." Jon grinned widely.

"Good." Jon hummed, pleased.

* * *

 

After the kiss Damian suddenly couldn't get Jon out of his head. It wasn't just that the kiss was amazing in every regard, and that it was probably one of the best kisses Damian had ever experienced in his life, but it was just _Jon_. There was no better way to explain in. Suddenly it was like Jon had been lit in a different light. Damian noticed that Jon would stick out the tip of his tongue when he was completing a particularly difficult homework problem, which was more adorable than it had any right being. Jon was also still growing with his powers, and Damian noticed that he was making so much improvement— he was stronger, he had more control. Damian was proud of Jon.

Damian was also terrified that he was starting to feel this way.

He wanted to do what he did with Colin, he wanted to pull away— he _tried_ to pull away.

But Jon was like a fucking disease... and Damian had caught it bad.

Damian was finally realizing how much time he spent with the boy; Super Sons, the Teen Titans, they both trained for the Justice League together, and they hung out with Maya, and Maps, and Suren, and then they hung out in private.

It was torture. Truly, one of the worst kinds Damian had ever experienced. Every time he saw the Kryptonian boy he had to take extra care to control himself, scared that anything could give him away. His heart rate, his blood pressure, his temperature, his not so subtle glances... there was just so much that Damian had realized he could get caught by.

Of course Jon noticed, and of course he had to misinterpret Damian's internal struggle as something other than what it actually was.

Again it was when Jon was hanging out with Damian alone. Jon seemed to value the privacy that the large manor offered, which Damian was glad for, he didn't like having other people involved in his own issues.

"Do you hate me?" Jon asked. Damian looked up from the book he was reading. They had actually gone for a change of scenery, moving to one of the library's couches. They were sitting on opposite ends of the couch, Damian was curled against one of the arms.

"No." Damian responded after a moment of shock and confusion. Jon frowned.

"Then why have been acting like you have?" Jon huffed. Damian narrowed his eyes and turned back to his book.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Damian dismissed. Jon got up and moved closer to Damian, invading his personal space.

"You're lying." Jon spurt. "Ever since we..." Jon's eyes darted around. "Ever since we _kissed_." Jon said in a hushed tone. "You've been acting weird around me. You're distant, or something." Damian tried to interrupt. "Was it actually bad? Was it just too weird? Did I do something wrong?" Jon was pleading, and he was getting closer with every word, his hand was clutched in Damian's sweater.

"No." Damian stated. "No, Jon, it's not you. You've done nothing wrong." Jon sat back on his heels

"Then why have you been acting so strange?" Jon questioned desperately with a pout. Damian sighed.

"It was the kiss-," Damian confessed.

"It was bad! I knew it! I'm sorry, Damian. Please can we just-,"

"Stop." Damian ordered. "It wasn't bad, I promise. The problem was that it was actually... amazing." Damian was blushing now. Jon stared at him, but Damian couldn't read the emotion on his face. "It made me realize that maybe I had been developing...feelings for you." He said feelings like the word itself had betrayed him. Jon's eyes got wide.

"Feelings?" He questioned. There was a bizarre emotion in his tone.

"I know you're smart enough to know what I mean when I say that." Damian returned. Jon kept staring at him.

"You like me?" Jon asked. Damian put down the book and stood up.

"I'm sorry. You know what, I'm just going to go downstairs." Damian stood up and walked towards the door.

"Wait, Damian." Suddenly Jon was next to Damian in a blur. "Wait, no, you can't just walk away."  Jon was in front of him now. "Damian I like you too. I've liked you for a while, but you liked Colin, and then you were dating other people, and you're older, and you're Nightwing now, and you're just so amazing. I didn't think you would feel the same." Damian stared at Jon.

"I do." Damian confessed. Jon smiled wide.

"Happy to hear it." Damian laughed then kissed Jon.

It was electric all over again.

* * *

 

They told their parents when everything was sorted out. Clark and Lois were mostly apprehensive about the age difference, but they were accepting. They knew that Damian wouldn't go out of his way to hurt their son. Bruce was more concerned that Damian would treat Jon as one of the flings that he had grown accustomed to, but Damian quickly convinced his father that Jon was different.

It was good, their relationship worked out well. Jon was eager to try new things, and Damian always made sure that Jon was comfortable and certain that he wanted whatever they did in all of their partnerships.

Damian discovered that he could in fact love another person.

Years passed and they were still together. By the time Damian was twenty one he had gotten his own apartment in Gotham and Jon moved in with him. Their parents thought they were going too fast, which was insane because they were together for four years, but Jon had just turned eighteen, so Damian chalked it up to Clark and Lois being too afraid to let their son go. They moved in despite the protests, and they had a good life. Damian worked days for WE and Jon was going to school. Every morning they would have breakfast together— Damian usually cooked, and he always made coffee for the both of them, even when he had to go in early for work. They also had lunch together, Damian working his schedule around Jon's classes. Then they would come home and have dinner, afterwards going out to patrol together.

One day though, Damian came home and Jon wasn't there. It was strange because Jon's classes should've ended a while before, and when they met for lunch Jon had promised that he would have dinner ready by the time Damian came one.

"Jon." He called out to the apartment. There was no response and Damian walked in farther, checking their bedroom to see if Jon had fallen asleep. He hadn't. He wasn't there. Damian had begun to panic. He reached for his phone and quickly called Jon, praying that the other man would pick up.

When the phone clicked and notified Damian that Jon had picked up, Damian breathed a sigh of relief.

"Jon, thank god, where are you?" Damian asked as he calmed down.

"Hello, Damian." A woman's voice picked up. It wasn't just any woman's voice it was...

"Mother?" There was a light laugh on the other end. "Where's Jon? What have you done with him?"

"He's fine for now, although I must say, how weak are you to let this alien child distract you?" Damian growled at his mother's words.

"You do not know Jon, and you are not allowed to talk about him. Now where is he?" His voice was an urgent snarl.

"He's home, Damian. Where you belong." Those were her final words as she hung up the phone. Damian yelled and threw his phone at the wall in anger.  

He had to go back to the League of Assassins. He needed save Jon from his mother.

He left immediately after he changed into his uniform. He was still Nightwing, but he didn't use escrima sticks, and he added a utility belt. He also broke into the batcave and took the batplane without telling his father where he was going.

When he arrived at the League's base he was instantly attacked by some of his mother's warriors. There were over a hundred of them, but Damian was prepared, beating them after only a short while of time. He proceeded on his journey, venturing deeper into the hideout. He was met with traps and other tricks his mother set to deter him.

Soon enough he was at the doors of where he knew his mother would be holding Jon. He pushed open the panels of solid wood.

Inside sat his mother and grandfather. Damian looked around the room and saw trapped in a red container. A quick glance told him that it was either a chamber that fed in red sunlight, or one that was made of red kryptonite— either way it was draining Jon's powers. He was on his knees and his eyes were droopy, but when he spotted Damian he tried to sit up, yet only really managed to put his hands on the red wall in front of him.

"Damian." He croaked weakly.

"Beloved." Damian breathed quietly once he saw that Jon wasn't injured in ways that wouldn't heal. He turned to look at his mother. "Let him go now, mother." Damian ordered.

Talia stood up and walked towards her son.

"He's making you weak, Damian. You have to realize that choosing this way of life will only keep you from the greatness I raised you for." Damian got in a defensive stance.

"I didn't choose this way of life, and you didn't raise me— you trained me to be the Demon's Head. The only reason I'm proud of who I am is because of Jon. Because of my father. Because of my brothers." Talia stopped where she stood, pausing for a moment to fully consider what Damian was saying, then she sneered at him.

"You are a failure, Damian." She scolded. Her words sent a pang of guilt and hurt to Damian, he felt shameful even though he didn't want to do what his mother would praise him for, but then he looked at Jon, who was leaning against the glass with his eyes barely open. All his feelings of doubt dissipated.

"Mother." He began, gritting his teeth and holding tighter to the wing-ding in his hand. "Let. My. Boyfriend. Go."

Talia frowned and tilted her head to the side. "If you will not cease this childish rebellion, I will be forced to take action. I'm just doing what needs to be done so you can have the life you were meant to have." Damian just growled in response and threw the weapon in his hand. She dodged easily as Damian began to run at her.

The fight was mostly Damian dodging the sword that his mother was attempting to cut him with, but in the moments after she would slice downward Damian would be able to land a solid hit. Damian had grown in his fighting abilities and was able to not only come toe-to-toe, but he was even taking control of the fight. He was winning.

Of course that couldn't last forever, and did concluded when Ra's al Ghul decided to finally speak up.

Talia and Damian turned at his voice. Ra's had a glowing green blade to Jon's neck.

"Grandfather." Damian pleaded. "Don't hurt him." Jon was slumped in Ra's' arms. Damian just wanted to hold him close and take him away from here.

"I'll make you a deal, grandson." Ra's spurt out. He threw Jon to the ground and signaled a server to bring something in. Damian prepared for the worst. Two of mother's warriors came in dragging a woman in with them. Damian studied the near unconscious woman. She was covered in blood and had been beaten. If Damian had to guess he would say that she just came in from being tortured.

No one moved as the woman was dropped unceremoniously next to Jon. Suddenly Talia's arm was around Damian as she lead him closer to the two recumbent figures. Ra's unsheathed his sword and Damian tensed, ready to dive in front of the pair, but then Ra's turned the blade over and handed it to Damian. Damian took it hesitantly.

"What are the perimeters of this _deal_?" Damian asked. Ra's smiled.

"It's simple, really. You say you love this alien. I merely want you to prove it. If you want to leave with his _thing_ ," he looked down at Jon, "kill the girl." Damian stepped back.

"This is insane." Damian declared.

"You say you love him!" His grandfather yelled. "Are you willing to kill for him? Would you rather condemn his life—your love's life—instead of kill a woman you have no connections to?" Damian looked down at the sword in his hand. "All I'm requesting of you, dear grandson, is that you show us you love him, and then we'll let you walk out of here." Damian glanced back at the woman on the ground. _He could just..._

Jon must've picked up on the hesitation and silence despite his weakened state, because suddenly his voice pierced through Damian's thoughts. "Dames... don't... please..." Damian looked down.

"If you don't love him," Ra's said, crouching down and holding the kryptonite blade near Jon, making the boy flinch. "I'd be happy to take this futile distraction away from you."

"No." Damian startled. He lifted the blade and held it near the girls throat. "Jon and I get to walk out of here?" Ra's nodded his head. Damian took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the sword. He heard more protest from Jon, but they quickly shut down by Ra's and the blade.

Damian drew back the blade, ready to slice the girl's throat, and then he brought it down.

While in the motion he swiftly changed direction and struck forwards, impaling Ra's in the stomach. Before anyone could react he took the sword out and turned, bringing the sword with him to slice his mother down the middle. He didn't even wait, he threw the sword away and grabbed Jon. He placed him in a fireman's hold and began to run.

They had to cross many of the comatose League members that Damian had previously knocked out, and Damian could hear the shouts of the people chasing him.

Damian remotely opened the hatch to the batwing, jumping inside and laying Jon down carefully. He closed the bay door and started the jet.

Then they were safe.

Jon took some time and yellow sunlight to fully heal, but soon he was back on his feet. They prepared for another visit from his mother or the League, but it never came. Damian never wanted to leave Jon's side, although eventually Jon confessed that it felt like he was being smothered, and watched over like a child. Damian backed off and told Jon he was just scared.

That's when Damian discovered he couldn't lose Jon. It wasn't like he thought he could before, but after everything that happened he realized that he didn't want to live a life without Jon.

So he proposed.

* * *

 

Again their parents said that it was too fast. Jon was in his second year of college, Damian still had his job, and they were balancing their lives as vigilantes and semi-famous celebrities. It still happened though.

The wedding was beautiful of course. Nearly everyone they knew was invited. Their vows were heartfelt and even Damian cried because it was happening. He was marrying the love of his life. He was so happy.

They were taking a break from both kinds of work one day, and watching some show that Jon was excited about. Everything was peaceful. They were wrapped together in each others arms. During a commercial break Jon looked over and Damian's hand. His extended his own and rubbed the golden band that encircled Damian's left ring finger. Damian smiled at the action and kissed the crown of Jon's head.

"Hey, Damian?" Jon spoke quietly.

"Yes, beloved?" Damian answered fondly.

"I love you." Damian moved to look at Jon's face and smiled.

"I love you too." Jon smiled back at him.

"Do you want a kid?" Jon asked. Damian tensed, unsure of where this was going. Jon picked up on it and quickly sat up. "I love you, and I truly believe that you're all I need, but..." He trailed off.

"You want a family?" Damian questioned. Jon just smiled and shrugged. "Well, we'd need to adopt. I can look up agencies, ask father about how the process goes-," Jon's hands went to Damian's shoulders.

"You want a kid too?" He seemed surprised. Damian nodded. "You want a family with me?" Again Damian nodded. Tears came to Jon's eyes and Damian wrapped his arms around the younger man. They parted only to kiss and tell each other that they were both happy.

* * *

 

Damian was twenty seven when he held his baby girl in his arms for the first time, and discovered that he had even more love to give.


End file.
